By the OGJ Online Staff
HOUSTON, Dec. 14 -- North American drilling activity again fell this week, with 1,196 rotary rigs working in Canada and in the US and its waters, said Baker Hughes Inc., Houston.
The North American count is down 6 from last week. Canada's count was 289, up 15 from last week.
In the US, 907 rotary rigs were working: 769 on land, 19 in inland waters, and 119 offshore. This time last week, there were 782 rigs working on land, 19 in inland waters, and 127 offshore.
Also in the US this week, the 150 rigs were drilling oil prospects, down 9 from last week, and 757 were drilling for gas, down 12 from last week. That included 240 directional and 72 horizontal wells.
Louisiana lost 8 rigs this week for a total of 170 active; New Mexico and Oklahoma each lost 4 rigs, for a total of 37 and 77 respectively; and Wyoming lost 1 rig for a total of 42 rigs. Texas gained 2 rigs to 386 and California gained 1 to 32. Alaska was unchanged at 14.
ODS-Petrodata Group, Houston, said mobile offshore drilling units under contract worldwide fell slightly over last week to 81.2% of the 653-rig fleet. Last week, the utilization rate was 81.5%.
In the US Gulf of Mexico, 59.1% of the 203-rig fleet was under contract. Last week the gulf contract rate was 60.5% of 205. Two jack ups left the gulf to begin contracts in other regions, said ODS-Petrodata.
In the Europe-Mediterranean Sea area, 94.2% of the 103-rig fleet was under contract, down from last week's 95.2% of 104.
ODS-Petrodata also said that worldwide, 78.3% of the 318 platform rigs available were under contract.